


Deep Water

by lullatone



Category: 9-1-1 (TV)
Genre: M/M, Nightmares, Pre Relationship, buck is a super stepdad, post tsunami
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-22
Updated: 2019-08-22
Packaged: 2020-09-24 06:35:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,327
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20354008
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lullatone/pseuds/lullatone
Summary: Christopher keeps having nightmares, Buck comes to the rescue.





	Deep Water

**Author's Note:**

> a buddie fic for all my pals!! we’re getting closer and closer to season 3 and i cant wait!! this is after the tsunami that we know is going to take place and i cant wait to see it!!!

Buck is woken up by the sound of his phone ringing. For a second he assumes it’s his alarm, but a quick glance at the clock tells him otherwise. It’s only 3AM. 

He rolls over, grabbing the phone without checking who it is.

“Hello?”

_ “Hey Buck, it’s me.”_

Eddie? Buck rubs a hand across his eyes.

“What’s up man, are you okay? It’s so early.” 

Eddie sighs over the phone, sounding just as tired as Buck is, maybe even more.

_ “I know, I’m so sorry. It’s just…”. _He takes a pause, Buck hearing what sounds like some shuffling and then the closing of a door. _ “Chris had a nightmare.” _

Buck is suddenly sitting upright, alert and ready to go.

“Is he okay?”

“_I mean yes. But also, no. He said he wants you.” _ Buck is up in an instant, looking for an acceptable pair of pants and shoes he can drive in. Eddie keeps talking on the end of the line, trying to explain himself. _ “-and obviously you don’t have to come over, maybe you can just talk to him over the phone? I think that can-“ _

“I’ll be there in 15 minutes.” 

There’s pure silence on Eddie’s end for a moment, the phone still to Buck’s ear as he toes on sneakers and grabs his keys off the dresser. 

“_Thanks man. Let yourself in with the spare key, okay? We’re in my room.” _

The connection cuts off as Buck is locking his front door and heading to his car. Despite the cool night and the haziness around his head, he’s driving to Eddies, sleep by damned. 

-

It’s eerily quiet as he walks up to Eddie’s front porch, the dark and stillness of the night making Buck feel a little bit peaceful. He digs his keys out of his pocket, finding the spare that Eddie had given him a few months ago. It was convenient for babysitting Chris or when he just stopped by to hang out and Eddie was too lazy to come unlock the door. _ (Buck’s words, not his.) _

Buck opens the front door, the creak of it cutting through the silence. He can hear hushed voices coming from down the hall, and he follows them after locking up again. 

He knocks lightly on Eddie’s door. 

“Guys? It’s me.” Eddie tells him to come in, and Buck pushes open the door to find a tired looking Christopher and an even more tired looking Eddie. 

As soon as Chris sees Buck, he starts to cry. The red tinged look on his face shows that this probably isn’t the first time it’s happened tonight, and it breaks Bucks heart. 

“I-I had a dream about the water.” Chris sniffles loudly and Buck just breaks. He crosses over to the bed, scooping up the young boy in his arms and pressing him close to his chest. 

“Oh buddy, I’m so sorry.” 

Buck knows what those dreams are like. They’re dark and suffocating and Buck always wakes up in a sweat. He’s had a few of them recently, and it made going to sleep anxiety inducing. The idea of Chris going through the same thing makes Buck ache. 

Chris is still crying, long hiccuped sobs as Buck strokes his back. He sits on the bed, arms wrapped around Christopher as Eddie watches. There’s no doubt that hearing his son like this hurts him in ways Buck can’t understand. 

When there’s a small moment of reprieve, when Chris seems to be calming down, Buck braves the chance of asking if he’d like to talk about it.

Chris pulls away so he can look at Buck, and Buck almost wishes he didn’t. The last thing he needs is to start crying as well, because he can’t stand the sight of Christopher this way. 

“I dreamt that you got swept away and you never came back.” He turns to Eddie. “And you never came for me.” 

Eddie’s silence ends finally, immediately reaching over to wrap his arms around both of them.

“Christopher, I will _ always _ come for you. Buck and me, we will always be here for you.” 

Buck nods, enjoying the warmth that having Eddie’s arms wrapped around the both of them has brought. Chris hiccups again, wiping his nose with the back of his hand. Buck takes the snotty hand and wipes it on his own shirt, and thankfully it makes Chris smile _just_ a bit.

His shirt was a goner now anyway, soaked from tears and sweat. He’d have to change once he got home. Buck takes a peak at the clock, noticing how early in the morning it’s become. Eddie takes notice too, a yawn threatening to come through his mouth. 

He runs a hand through Christopher's hair, ruffling the curls. “Do you think we can try and sleep buddy?” 

Chris nods, his face once again pressed into Buck’s chest. “Can he stay?” 

Eddie’s smile is soft as he catches Buck’s eyes. “Of course Buck can stay.” 

The three stand up from the bed, Buck still holding Chris as Eddie arranges the blankets and pillows to comfortably accommodate the three. When it looks good enough, Buck lowers down Christopher to the middle, the young boy’s eyes already starting to flicker closed. 

Buck and Eddie get in on their opposite sides, and despite the mood of the night, Buck can’t help but chuckle a little. Eddie raises an eyebrow, giving his friend a skeptical look.

“What could possibly be funny right now?”

Buck’s settling in under the covers, and he takes a second to make sure Chris is at least partially asleep. The steady rise and fall of his chest seems to mean so. Buck cranes his neck so he can look at Eddie as he holds in another laugh.

“When I imagined finally sharing a bed with _ the _ Eddie Diaz, I didn’t think it would be like this.” 

Eddie huffs, but there’s a smile behind it as he rolls his eyes and lies down. 

They lie there for a minute or so, listening to the sounds of the night, making sure Christopher is finally okay. He shifts in his sleep, hand reaching out. Eddie takes it, which seems to be the right choice, as Chris’s body relaxes again. 

Eddie audibly sighs, eyes meeting Buck’s as they share a smile.

“Thank you so much for coming.”

“Of course. I….I know how he’s feeling.” Buck looks elsewhere, eyes downcast to the blankets on the bed. 

He doesn’t have to see Eddie to know that his face is full of concern and disbelief.

“Buck. You told me you’ve been sleeping.”

“I mean I have. Just, not well.” 

“Hey.” Buck turns his head. He sees the hand that isn’t holding Christophers outstretched towards him. “Come here.” 

Buck’s instinct is to grab it, but there’s an inkling of hesitation. 

Except Eddie looks warm and inviting, and Buck would really like to sleep. 

He takes the hand offered to him and is suddenly pulled closer towards Eddie and Chris. It takes a second or so to get arranged, but eventually Chris is cuddled up between the two, Eddie and Buck’s arms over him. 

Eddie yawns. “We love you, Buck.” 

That was how they got around actually saying it. Cause they really couldn’t, not just yet anyway. It was too soon, too tender, too delicate of a thing to really talk about yet. It had been that way since the tsunami. If they said it like that, it wasn’t scary.

_ ‘We’, _instead of_ ‘I’_. 

“I love you guys too.” 

Eddie smiles at that, and it really is a wonderful smile. He closes his eyes, resting his forehead near his sons as he settles down to sleep.

Eddie’s arm is long enough to be able to rest on Buck and his fingers twitch slightly as the settle to rest on his side. The touch is warm and loving and _ safe_.

For the first time in a long time, Buck doesn’t feel scared to close his eyes. 


End file.
